Hermione's Future: Life after the War
by Queenjess1
Summary: Sequel to Hermione's Future. Hermione returns to Hogwarts to take on an apprenticeship with Severus Snape. Things start off well, but later down the road she starts noticing problems. Can she ever recover from the war?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! If you are new here please go read Hermione's Future before reading this one. If you are not new welcome back! Many of you said that you wanted a sequel in the last story so here it is. This one is going to be a lot slower pace and shows Hermione's progress through her apprenticeship. Later on in this story there will be a conflict but I won't tell you what that is until we get there. You can always guess though. I will love to hear all your guesses. Anyway on to the first chapter!**

September 1st was almost here, which meant that Hermione Granger had to prepare for her apprenticeship with Severus Snape. Over the past few months she had been vacationing around the world with the love of her life. After the war, the two of them both agreed they needed a break. She was still trying to recover from what she went through, but it was difficult for her. She couldn't shake the fear or the dreams she had been having. She knew it was getting ridiculous at this point, but she couldn't help it. Severus was aware of her suffering and tried to make her feel better, but at times he felt hopeless with the situation. He again tried to offer her a potion in order for her to sleep, but she adamantly said no. He didn't understand why it was such a big deal. It was one sip not a whole vial, but he held his tongue knowing arguing with her would not help.

She was so excited to start her apprenticeship. She had wanted to do this for years and to get to work with Severus was a dream come true. Who wouldn't want to work with the one they love? She always had a passion for Potion's and to finally get to study and eventually teach it was overwhelming for her. She was trying to learn as much knowledge as she could before the students arrived. Throughout the break she read book after book about potions and she even made some using his lab. She knew it was silly but she was a perfectionist. She needed to succeed.

She currently was sitting in their living room reading over her textbook that Severus had given her. Today was the day that students were returning for school and she wanted to be prepared for it. Severus went over all the details about her apprenticeship already. She would be helping him make potions, she will also be in the classroom with him watching him teach and helping other students if needed, last of all she was going to have to come up with a project regarding potions towards the end of her apprenticeship. She didn't know what project she was going to come up with, but she knew there was so much time left.

"Reading over that book again?" Severus asked as he entered their living room carrying a stack of papers.

She looked up from her textbook and slowly sat it back down on the coffee table. "Today is the day that students are returning, Severus. We both know that. I just want to be mentally prepared for it. I don't want to make any mistakes."

He plopped down next to her on the couch and set his stack of papers down next to her book. "You know you will do fine."

"How do you know that?" She asked him.

"Because my lovely little witch you are smart and if I didn't think you would be capable of doing this I wouldn't have accepted it. Are you ready to see your past classmates again?"

"I don't know honestly. First years are easy to take control of, but seventh years I don't know how they will respond. I was just a student a few months ago. I don't know if they will show me the same respect that you have," she said worriedly. She bit her lip nervously thinking about how she was going to be able to take control of the class.

"I have a story for you actually, Hermione. I wasn't always this scary Potion's Professor that everyone saw. My first year of teaching was difficult. I was only twenty two years old and I knew that in order to gain the respect that my older colleagues had, I had to show them that I was strict. I walked in there, slammed the windows with my wand, turned around to face the class, and everyone stared at me in awe. I began to speak to them and as I spoke not one student interrupted me. They all sat there quietly listening because of my entrance. Throughout the year I was quick to take away points and hand out detentions if any of them stepped out of line and as each day passed the fewer problems I had. Everyone, in a way, gave me respect and didn't dare to try anything even though I was very young at the time. I am telling you this story because I don't want you to think that you can't do it because of your age. You can Hermione, but you are going to have to separate yourself from student to upcoming Professor. If you show the students that you are still the student they knew a few months ago they will take advantage of it. I am not saying you have to go in there and be mean like I was, but you have to be strict. You have to take points away if you see things that are wrong. Don't let them walk all over you and of course I will be there by your side if anyone steps out of line."

She nodded slowly at him taking in all that he said. "How long will it be before I start taking over the class?"

"We'll see, Hermione. I might let you do a few things with the first and possibly the second years, but that won't be for at least a month or a two. You just started. Don't over work yourself."

She picked up one of the papers and stared at it quizzically. "What are these for?"

"They are lesson plans Hermione. Actually, I'm glad you are here to see them since you will be making these yourself eventually. I know this might surprise you, but even though we are a wizard school we still have to create lesson plans. It's not just writing directions on the board and watching students make potions. There are strict guidelines that we have to follow. We can't just introduce a random potion, which is why there are different levels of potion making. The lesson plan you are looking at is the first day for first years. We are slowly introducing the art that is potion making. We are not having them make anything just yet, but we will explain the process and I will model for them how to make a potion. It will be a fairly simple one."

"Are you going to do your famous speech about silly wand waving?" She asked with a smirk.

"I didn't know it was famous, but yes I usually do. It is a quick way to introduce myself and what I expect out of my students. I don't care if the student is 10 or if they are 17. I expect the same behavior out of any of my students. I also suggest you create your own speech when you become a Professor. Everyone has a way to introduce themselves. Mine leaves no room for argument."

"I love your speech honestly. I know for a fact that you scared everyone that day."

He chuckled and said, "Obviously not you."

"I studied so hard for all my classes months before school even started. I was so excited to go to Hogwarts. When you come from a muggle family it's different. You are the only magic one in the family and you get all these big heavy tomes and I ate it all up. I wanted to share my knowledge with everyone, but I guess it came off as overbearing. Are you still going to show favoritism to the Slytherin's?" She asked hesitantly.

"Well, the war is now over Hermione, but I am still bias when it comes to my own house. For your sake, I will lessen it and try to call on a few other students. Is that fair?"

"Yes I guess that will have to do."

Hermione continued to study the lesson plans he had stacked up on the table until he announced that it was time to head to the Great Hall for the welcoming feast. As they walked down the hallway, Hermione felt her nerves start to mount.

"It's just a welcoming feast Hermione. There is no reason to be nervous. When we get to the table there will be a chair to my right. You will sit in that chair during every meal."

They walked through a secret passage way that Hermione had never seen before. They reached a door and Severus opened it for her. The door led to the back of the great table. "This is how we get to the Great Hall without walking through the double doors." They walked over to their seats and Severus pulled out Hermione's chair for her.

"Thanks Severus." She kissed him on the cheek and she took her seat. He sat down next to her and waited for the rest of the professors to arrive.

He leaned over and whispered to her, "Keep in mind when we are in front of students do not call me by my first name. Even though I love your affection you cannot kiss or hug me in front of the students either."

She frowned and nodded her head. "I understand," she said in disappointment. She loved kissing and hugging him. It wasn't fair that she couldn't do so in class, but she understood his reasoning.

He looked around the hall and leaned over and kissed her on the lips quickly. "Don't be upset. You know I don't care what people think, but when there are students around we have to act professional. There will be plenty of time outside of class for that. Now smile for me. I hate seeing you upset."

"You're right Severus." Her lips quirked back up into a smile.

Minerva walked in and took a seat to Severus's left. "Good evening you two. It is almost time for the first years to arrive. Are you ready Hermione for your first year to start?"

"With Severus by my side, I believe so. This is what I always wanted to do."

"You'll do great Hermione and if you ever need anyone I'm always here to help you," Minerva said reassuringly. "Well I would love to sit here and chat, but duty calls." She stood up from the table and walked down the aisle to the double doors.

The rest of the Professor's arrived taking their seats. A few of them nodded at Hermione, while the others sat there patiently for the new students to arrive.

"Here they come," Severus whispered next to her.

The double doors opened and in walked the second through seventh year students. They went to their tables and took their seats. Hermione's eyes briefly caught Ginny's flaming red hair and remembered what Severus told her. She was an upcoming professor. She had to be professional, which included hanging out with Ginny.

A few minutes passed and in walked Minerva, leading the new first years. The new first years were abnormally a larger group than last years. Part of the reason was possibly because the war was over. There wasn't any danger anymore. Parents started to send their students back to school again now that it was deemed safe. Minerva reached the front of the table and walked up the steps. She approached the stool that had the sorting hat sitting on top of it. "When I call your name, you shall come forth, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses." She began to read off the list of students.

Hermione scanned the faces of the new students and took note of the ones who were sorted into Gryffindor and also the ones who were sorted into Slytherin. Out of the 60 new first years there were 15 Slytherin's, 16 Gryffindor's, 14 Ravenclaw's, and 15 Hufflepuff's.

Dumbledore approached the podium and began to speak. "Welcome everyone to another year here at Hogwarts. I hope your summer break treated you well. I would like to again remind you that the Forbidden Forest is completely off limits to students. As some of you have noticed, we have a new addition to the great table. She is our newest apprentice here at Hogwarts. She will be in your Potion's classroom with Professor Snape. Please welcome Mistress Granger."

Severus slightly nudged Hermione next to her and she quickly stood up from the table realizing that was her cue to introduce herself. She smiled at all the students and she quickly sat back down, embarrassed by all the attention she was getting.

"Now, let the feast begin." Food appeared on the table and everyone began to eat.

"It's good to see you 'Ermione," Hagrid said next to her.

She smiled at Hagrid happy to see him too. "It's nice to see you too Hagrid. How was your break?"

"Well Fang and I went to 'elp out the trolls to the west of us. They have been having a problem with the other animals around, but with us there we were able to fix the issue. How was yours?"

"Great actually, I really loved traveling. It was nice to get a break and we saw some very lovely sights."

"I didn't know you were coming back here, but I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. You 'ave always been smart and loved learning. Good luck to you 'Ermione. I know you will do great."

"Thank you Hagrid. I appreciate it."

When the feast was over, Severus led Hermione down into the dungeons and towards the Slytherin Common Room. He approached the wall that led to the entrance of the common room. He whispered the password and the wall opened for him, granting him entrance. The two walked into the common room and stared at all the new students. "Welcome back students. I am here to remind you what I expect as your head of house. How you act portrays how our house is to other students and also portrays me. You will not embarrass me or the name of Salazar Slytherin. Also, I suggest you try to earn as much points as possible. I can only help as much as I can. We have not won the House Cup in years, but I think this can be our year. Now, I suggest you get some rest and be prepared tomorrow. Goodnight." He left the common room, his robes billowing as he went.

"Did you notice all the older students glaring at me?" Hermione whispered to him as they continued to walk down the dungeons.

"It's because you are a Gryffindor," he explained.

"I think some of them are still mad about the war. I mean some of them had parents that were involved."

He turned to her and cupped her cheek in his warm hand. "I love you Hermione and I will protect you from them. Don't you worry about it. They might be mad now, but they will be thankful in the long run."

Together the two of them walked back to their rooms pleased with how things went on their first day back.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione woke up angry. She didn't understand why because she definitely got enough sleep last night. She went to bed early with Severus by her side anxious for her first day, but now as she stood there in their shared bed room getting ready for the day she found herself to be abnormally agitated. She had no reason to be, but she chalked it up to first day jitters. When she finished getting dressed she headed into the living room to find Severus dressed and ready to depart for the Great Hall. She approached him with a smile on her face forgetting about her agitation for the moment. She kissed him good morning and he kissed her back just as eagerly.

"How did you sleep Hermione?" He asked her knowing she was having problems sleeping for the past 3 months.

"I think heading to bed early last night did the trick. I feel well rested for once." She wasn't lying. She did sleep well. She did have one bad dream towards the beginning of the night, but she was able to fall asleep again without any issues.

"Did you look over those lesson plans?" He asked her as they headed out the door.

"I did. Just to clarify I am watching you teach and also observing the students correct?" It seems fairly simple, but not as exciting as she hoped. She wanted to jump into the work and get her hands dirty, but again she was an apprentice who was just starting off.

"For now yes. I would suggest you take note of the things you want to remember so I will provide you with a notebook and a quill for you in the classroom."

"You know that's already a given. I always take way too many notes even when I don't need to." Her voice trailed off when she felt an overwhelming feeling of anger wash over her. _Why am I so mad? This isn't normal._ She hid her look of worry from Severus and they continued on walking down the hallway abnormally quiet. She didn't want to continue talking to him afraid she would say something wrong.

They walked down the hidden passageway and reached the Great Table. They took their seats and began eating the food that was set on the table. As they ate Severus talked to a few of his colleagues that were sitting towards their side of the table, but Hermione stayed quiet trying to understand the reasoning behind her anger.

"Are you excited for your first day 'Ermione?" Hagrid asked next to her, surprised by how quiet she was.

Hagrid's voice startled her which nearly made her spill her pumpkin juice. She felt her eyes narrow at him, but she quickly blinked realizing that it was her fault for being startled. He was just trying to talk to her and yet she still got mad at him for scaring her. "Good morning Hagrid. I am excited, but I'm also a little nervous. I never have been in front of a classroom before."

Hagrid sensed there was something wrong, but he didn't ask her. If she wanted to tell him she would. He stopped talking to her and began eating his food.

Hermione felt bad that she narrowed her eyes at him like that. He was never mean or nasty to her. She didn't understand what made her do that. She nibbled on her food, trying to keep her mind off of it. She continued to sit there quietly until Severus announced to her that it was time to head to the classroom. She stood up from the table and she followed him down the hallway.

"You were quiet during breakfast. Is something wrong?" He asked, slightly perturbed by her behavior. She was always talkative and animated during meals, but today she barely said a thing. He sensed that there was something off about her and it annoyed him to no end that she wouldn't tell him.

"Fine I just was thinking about class today. It's different being in the front of the room watching the students." The lie came out of her mouth smoothly and she missed the look of doubt that crossed his face. _How long can I keep this charade up? Maybe I just need some more sleep. It has to be gone by tomorrow. Everyone has an off day. Maybe mine is just today._ She was convincing herself that nothing was wrong and all she needed was sleep, but even deep down she knew that something was wrong.

They reached the classroom door and they walked into the room. "Now we have first years for our first class. This will be a fairly easy class because all I'm doing is modeling for them."

"You told me that already." She snapped. She was surprised by how rude it came out. Her look of horror was quickly wiped from her face when she saw his eyes narrow at her. "I'm sorry Severus. I'm not feeling well today. I didn't mean to snap at you. Go on." She hoped that would be enough to convince him.

His eyes softened slightly by her apology. He was shocked by her snapping at him. Of course they had their fights what couple didn't, but the way she said it was not like her at all. He ignored it thought believing that it was because she wasn't feeling well. He continued on going over the plan and this time Hermione held her tongue allowing him to speak. When he finished speaking a slight ringing sound was heard. "They are here Hermione."

Hermione nodded at him and she stayed standing by his desk as he opened the door with his wand. The first years all filed in and grabbed a seat. It was Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hermione's eyes scanned the faces of the anxious students; obviously they were already warned of Professor Snape's class.

Severus Snape began to recite his famous speech and if even possible the anxious looks on the students increased even more. He finished his speech and waved Hermione over to him. She slowly approached his side and smiled at the students in front of her. "This is Mistress Granger. She will be here observing you and also observing me. Eventually she might even teach you all how to brew. I expect you to show her the same respect as you do me. Understood?" All the students nodded at him, scared to say a word. "Now let us begin. The first thing we are going to learn is potion safety. While brewing a potion you must have due diligence. You must pay attention to what you are doing at all times or there could be disastrous consequences. There are no short cuts when it comes to brewing a perfect potion. You must follow directions diligently. They are there to help you and are not a suggestion. Now I am going to show you how you would prepare a potion. It is a fairly simple one. It is called dreamless sleep. This potion aids in helping people sleep better who have trouble sleeping." He walked over to a table that was already set up in front of the students. "Now pay attention as I start brewing."

Hermione stood back and watched him work. He was totally in his element and it amazed her seeing him teach from a different view point. She walked around the classroom as he continued to brew the potion in front of him. She wrote a few notes here and there on the notepad she held in her hands. She was surprised to see that even some of the students wrote down directions as he brewed the potion. She hoped that one day she can control the class as good as he did. One student, a curly haired Gryffindor girl, raised her hand high in the air a question poised on her lips. Hermione nearly cringed seeing how eager the little girl was. She continuously waved it until finally Severus could no longer ignore it.

"Yes Ms. Davis?" He glared at the girl, annoyed that she interrupted him in the middle of brewing.

"Excuse me Professor Snape I have a question. Does it matter how high the temperature is when brewing?" Her voice came out shrilly.

"Of course it does you silly girl. If your cauldron is too high it can cause the potion to overheat and if it is too low it will not boil like it should. What a silly question to ask." Hermione's voice came out and she bit her lip hard realizing she just interrupted the class. She didn't mean to speak at all. Her voice came out without her consent. It was like she was compelled to speak. The way she answered the girl's question was also rude. She didn't know what to say as the class stared at her. The little girl stared at her with unshed tears in her eyes. She wanted to run out of the room, but she stayed rooted to the spot. She wasn't a student. She was an apprentice. She had to act like one. She swallowed thickly and finally Severus directed the class back to him as his eyes briefly stared at Hermione in confusion.

"Yes as my apprentice as said Ms. Davis it is very important to keep your temperature under control at all times. If it is too high it will burn the potion and it will not work. If it is too low it will not boil and you would have wasted your time. Now let's continue as I add the next ingredient to the cauldron."

Hermione returned to the front of the room and sat down in the chair next to the big desk chair. She buried her face into her notes embarrassed and alarmed by her behavior. _What is happening to me? I would have never dared to speak out of turn. It is his class. His for fuck sakes yet there I am answering the little girl. I was so rude to her. I nearly made her cry. S_ he didn't dare say another word as he finished brewing the potion.

"Now how you bottle up your potion is you are going to take your ladle and your slowly going to pour it into an empty vial. Then you are going to put a stopper into the vial and put your name on it once you are finished. Now I believe that means our time is up for today unless any of you have any more questions?" A Slytherin student slowly raised his hand towards the back of the room. "Yes Mr. McLarry?"

His eyes briefly looked at Hermione and said, "Is she the reason why the war is gone? Did she really beat You-Know-Who like they say?"

 _Oh here we go again with the admiration. People finally stopped sending me letters and now the first years are all going to look at me as some kind of hero._

People started whispering to each other and staring at her because of his question. "Settle down!" Professor Snape's voice carried over the class and instantly everyone quieted. "Yes she took part in the war and is the main reason why we won. Now if there aren't any pertinent questions you all may be excused."

Some of the students slowly approached Hermione who was still sitting in the chair. She looked up from her notes and saw the admiration in their eyes. So many students thanked her for what she had done and even Ms. Davis approached her. Finally Severus sent them away and they were left alone. With the students gone she swallowed nervously knowing he was going to ask her why she reacted like that and she wouldn't have a good answer for him.

He didn't approach her right away. He cleaned the mess he had made with a quick swipe of the wand and began to get everything ready for the next class. When everything was ready he turned to Hermione who was now pretending to reread over her notes for the seventh time. "Can you enlighten me why you found it appropriate to answer the question the way you did? In fact why did you even answer her at all?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. She truly didn't understand why it came out.

"Must I remind you the rules here when it comes to being an apprentice?" His words came out with a slight edge to them. He was annoyed by her behavior. All day she was acting funny and he didn't like it.

She stood up from the chair and turned to him angrily. "I know the rules of being an apprentice Severus. Don't treat me like an incompetent student." There it was again. She snapped at him and she didn't mean to.

"What is your problem today? Why are you so worked up about everything? I even saw you react to Hagrid during breakfast. Are you sure you slept alright last night? If you can't handle being an apprentice then maybe we need to reconsider this." He didn't mean to say it the way he did, but he was losing his patience with her. She embarrassed him in the middle of his classroom and nearly made the student cry.

"I can handle it. This is what I want to do Severus and nothing else."

"Then maybe we need to visit our options when it comes to your sleeping patterns. Are you really sure you don't want to take a sleeping draught at night? I can see the way it's been bothering you and now it's affecting your emotions."

"It's not my sleeping patterns Severus. I slept well last night, but I woke up angry this morning. It's like my emotions are not my own. I react without meaning to. You saw the look on my face when I responded to the girl. I don't know what's going on."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" He asked. His concern for her increased when he realized this was more than just sleep.

"I thought I was just grumpy or having a bad day you know. I didn't think it was serious until now. It scared me honestly. It was like another part of me that I had no say in. I was so embarrassed and you know I wouldn't have interrupted the class. What did you think we should do?"

"I think later on this evening when classes are over we should visit Madame Pomfrey. Maybe she can provide you with something. For now I suggest you try to manage it and continue taking notes." On the outside he was putting on a brave face, but on the inside he was worried. What did this mean?


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day Hermione struggled with maintaining her anger. She was able to hold her tongue and not shout out in class, but she still felt this overwhelming sense of fury. She didn't understand it and neither did Severus. She still was short with him and at times she completely snapped. Each time she apologized to him immensely feeling bad for how she was acting towards him. She had to keep reiterating that it wasn't her. He placated her each time showing her that he wasn't angry at her. In fact he was worried. He too was trying to come up with a plausible reason for her behavior but everything in his mind went back to her sleep patterns. He tried to bring it up again, but she didn't want to hear it. She was set that it wasn't because of it so he dropped it. He continued to teach the rest of the day, but his mind was only on her. He saw the internal struggle she was having, but he put on a brave face. Out of the two of them one of them had to be calm about his.

They went to dinner together and even there she was angry. Hagrid didn't bother to talk to her again during dinner, which sadden her. She didn't mean to be mean to him. Severus saw the sad look that crossed her face and he leaned over and pecked her cheek quickly.

"Don't worry about it Hermione. We will figure this out. Maybe Poppy will find something for us. Don't lose hope."

She smiled at him. "Thank you Severus for being here for me. Your words of encouragement are helping me through this. I love you."

"I love you too Hermione. Now please eat the food that is on your plate. You barely ate a thing today."

She again bit back the snarl that formed on her lips and instead took a bite of her food. Her look of anger was not missed though by Severus, which again worried him. Throughout the rest of the meal he tried to think of his own solution for their problem, but nothing was helping.

Minerva saw that there was something wrong between the couple. "Severus is something wrong? Did you two get into a fight?"

"No Minerva, nothing like that. Hermione is just going through some things right now." He left it at that. It was their business not the whole schools.

She stared at the two of them and nodded slowly. "You know if the two of you ever need anything I'm always here. "

"Thanks Minerva I appreciate that." He gave her a tight lipped smile and continued on eating. Even though the war was over he still wasn't talkative with the rest of the school. He liked his solitude too much and he still wasn't comfortable with people knowing about his business. He wasn't deliberately mean anymore though. He was professional and at times talked when he needed to, but besides that he didn't go out of his way to talk to other people unless they started the conversation.

Once dinner was over the two of them went to Madam Pomfrey to get her checked out. As she laid there on the hospital bed she gripped Severus's hand tightly. She was nervous about what the healer might find. Like Severus she too was trying to come up with a possible solution. Nothing she thought of made sense. As she laid there waiting for Madam Pomfrey to conduct her test she closed her eyes and continued to grip Severus's hand. Him being here was settling her nerves and she hoped that whatever the healer might find was an easy fix.

Madam Pomfrey stood over her waving her wand. She did multiple tests trying to find what can possibly be wrong. After a few minutes she put her wand arm down and shook her head sadly. "I am sorry Hermione, but I don't see anything wrong with you. You are very healthy and nothing seems out of the ordinary. The only thing I can really suggest for you is to get some more sleep. I also suggest you find time to do things that you love doing. Go for a walk, go to Hogsmeade, do things that make you happy. Do you need help going to sleep? I can offer you a potion to aid you in it."

Hermione scowled slightly unhappy that there was no real reason for her anger. It kept going back to her sleep patterns, but deep down she knew it was more than that.

Severus saw the look on her face and sighed knowing that she was going to fight them both on this. He just wanted the best for her and he believed that if she slept peacefully she'll be better off, but she was adamant that a potion could do more harm than good. "Hermione I agree with Poppy," he said gently.

Her scowl deepened when she heard Severus's words. "I know it's not my sleeping patterns though Severus."

"It might not be, but you can't keep fighting this. I watch you every night struggle to fall asleep and I hear you wake up screaming. I hear you cry at night after you wake up. You might not think I see it or hear it but I do." He grabbed both her hands and made her look at him. "Please Hermione can you just consider it. You can't keep fighting this and it pains me to see you struggle when I can't do anything about it. Just try it please for me?" He begged.

She saw the love in his eyes and she slowly succumbed to his wishes. "Alright Severus I'll try the potion."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Thank you Hermione for considering this. Do you want to go for a walk around the grounds before curfew? It might do you some good. Maybe it will ease the anger you feel."

"Sure Severus I would love to." The two of them headed to the front of the castle and out the front door. They held hands as they walked around the grounds. "I'm disappointed that she didn't find anything wrong. It makes me feel helpless honestly. I know you're both concerned about my night terrors, but I know that isn't the cause of my anger. I guess I should be happy that I'm healthy but I know there is something wrong. I can feel it."

"Can you explain it to me again? Try to describe it as best as you can."

"Well, I get this overwhelming sense of anger. It's like I have to fight to keep it at bay, but I'm constantly wanting to fight with people or get angry. I am angry at everyone. It could be an innocent child, a professor, even you. No matter who I'm talking to I just want to automatically get mad at them. This might sound scary but it's like another person inside of me that I can't control. You saw how I responded to that child in your class and you know I would never respond like that. This morning I thought it was just me being grouchy, but it's not and I don't know what to do."

"We will figure this out Hermione I know it. Do you think it's possible that someone might've casted a spell on you?" The more they talked about it the more concern Severus felt. It scared him to hear that she might have another person inside of her, but it didn't make any sense either. He gripped her hand even tighter trying to comfort her, but also provide comfort for himself.

"I don't know Severus I mean I guess it is possible but who would have done that and what spell would it be?"

"When we get back to our rooms we can look into it and see. Maybe there's a counter curse that we can find."

"Have you heard of anything like this before?"

"I mean it does almost sound like the imperio curse, but I don't think that's what it is. The imperio curse takes the control away from someone, but you have control. I'm honestly stumped on what this can possibly be."

The more they walked around the grounds the more Hermione wanted to get back to their rooms. When he mentioned the possibility of a spell she instantly wanted to find the counter curse, but it was nice going for a walk with him in the moonlight. Once they reached the front doors of the castle they walked back inside and headed back to their rooms.

"When we get back to our rooms I am going to find every book about spells and dark magic. We might not be able to read all of them today or even this week, but we are going to try to find out what it can be. I won't stop Hermione. It scares me to see you so angry because I know my Hermione is loving and caring. I miss that."

They walked into their rooms and Severus went right to his bookshelf. He took out book after book and made two equal stacks on top of the coffee table in their living room. "I think that's all of them. Well the ones I have in here at least. Let's start reading and see what we can find."

The two of them sat on the couch reading through each book. The task was tedious. They looked through each page trying to find a spell or a counter curse, but they weren't finding anything. Once they got through half the books, Severus turned to her and said, "It's almost time to go to bed Hermione. It's late."

She didn't respond and kept on reading the book in front of her. She didn't want to go to sleep. She was desperate to find the cure. She turned to the next page and that was when her book was rudely pulled away from her and snapped shut. "Hey I was reading that!" She shouted at him angrily.

"Hermione it is nearly midnight. We stayed awake long enough. We will continue this tomorrow. Now it is time for bed." He set the book down on the table uncaring that she wanted to continue reading.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Her voice boomed. Her voice was not her own and it alarmed her. She put her hand over her mouth and tears filled her eyes. The voice that came out of her mouth was deep and nothing she ever heard before. It scared her.

Severus's eyes widen when he heard the deep growl that came from her throat. He sat back down on the couch and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her temple and held her close to him. "Don't cry Hermione. We will figure this out."

She clung to him tightly. She needed him. She needed his arms wrapped around her. She wanted him to make it all go away. "Make it go away Severus," she wailed as she hugged him even tighter.

He didn't know how to make it go away. "I can't Hermione. What do you want me to do?" He would do anything to make it better. He hated seeing her like this. He just wanted her to be happy. Even after the war they still were having complications from it and he hated it. Was there ever an end to both their suffering?

She looked up at him and felt this overwhelming sense to be with him in their bed. "Make love to me Severus, please? I need to feel your skin against mine. I need to feel your arms around me."

He stood up and carried her to the bedroom. He set her down on the bed and began to strip off his clothing. Once he was finished undressing he started on her making quick work of her work robes. Hermione laid back onto the bed and he climbed into bed hovering above her. He leaned down and kissed her softly on her full plump lips. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down onto her body. She wanted to feel all of him on her. He continued on kissing her loving the taste of her mouth. His right hand found the space between her legs and slowly inserted one of his fingers into her opening. Wetness clung to the digit and he nearly groaned aloud. He moved it slowly inside of her feeling her moan against his lips. He inserted a second digit and he pulled away from her lips. He moved his mouth lower to her left breast. He sucked her rosy pink nipple into his mouth while his fingers continued to pump inside of her. After a few minutes he felt that she was close to coming. He pulled away from her breast and pulled his fingers out of her sex. He licked them clean savoring the taste of her. He gripped his hardness and angled himself above her. "Are you ready Hermione?" Even after months of making love to her he always asked before he plunged inside of her. She has yet to say no to him.

She nodded and lovingly caressed his hips. "Yes Severus. I need you."

He slowly pushed inside of her and groaned at the feel of her soft silky walls that gripped him. He pulled out and pushed back in until he met bottom. He continued at a slow pace knowing that's the way she liked it. He pinned her hands to the soft bedspread and continued to push into her slowly. He leaned down and kissed the tear away that was falling from her eyes. "Why are you crying Hermione?" He stopped pushing into her when he saw tears form in her eyes.

"No don't stop Severus. They're happy tears. Even after I treated you so horribly today you continue to love me. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be beside me. I love you so much."

"Silly girl, you think I wouldn't love you just because of a few words? I will always be by your side Hermione. Don't ever forget that." He continued to thrust into her at a slow pace. He knew she needed the close contact more so than the act itself. He held back from thrusting into her harder. There was time for that at another time. For now he was doing this for Hermione. After a few more minutes of keeping his thrusts at a slow pace he brought her to a gentle orgasm. He closed his eyes at the feel of her walls gripping him tightly. He thrusted once, twice, and came inside of her. He pulled out of her gently and cleaned them both with a quick scourgify. He laid down beside her and pulled her close to his chest. He heard her start crying again and again he felt hopeless. He held her close to his chest and whispered sweet nothings into her ear.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke up feeling warm and comfortable. She felt Severus's body pressed up against her from behind and she smiled. She slowly cracked open her eyes and saw that it was nearly time to get up and get ready for the day. She felt Severus kiss her neck and she giggled in response. "Good morning, love."

Severus grunted and cracked open his eyes. He smiled down at her and gave her another kiss this time on her lips. "Good morning. How do you feel?" His question reminded her of her behavior as of late. The moment of bliss she felt was shattered. Tears stung her eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. He scowled when he saw her demeanor change just because of the question he asked. "Don't cry, Hermione."

She turned around in their bed so she was facing him. "Do you really think we will find out what is going on with me?"

"We will Hermione. I won't stop searching. I will tear down the Hogwarts library if I have to. I didn't mean to ruin the nice moment we shared this morning." He reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb. She leaned into his hand and smiled at him.

"I know you didn't. I'm actually feeling well today. I feel well rested and I don't feel angry anymore. As I said maybe it was just an off day."

As much as he wanted to believe her it was difficult. The way she acted yesterday was not just a bad day. It wasn't just her being grouchy. It was something more and he just couldn't figure out what it was. Instead of speaking it aloud he pulled her closer to his chest. He buried his face into her neck and breathed in her scent. He kissed her neck and suckled on the skin there. He didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay in bed and hold her close.

She giggled and arched he neck offering more room for him. "We have to get up soon, Severus."

He pulled away from her soft skin reluctantly. "What time is it?" He asked tiredly.

"It's nearly 7. We should have showered and gotten dressed by now," she complained. She hated to be late. She always was on time everywhere she went, but she loved staying in bed with him as well. Unfortunately duty calls though. They had work to do.

He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "We can always shower together."

Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. No matter how many times they've been together he always knew what to say to make her blush. She pulled the blankets off of her and stood up baring her nude body. "Alright you win, Severus. It will be quicker if we both showered together."

He also got out of bed and approached her. "You know that's not the reason I offered that," he said seductively. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bathroom with him. He turned on the shower and waited for it to get hot before they both got in. "I forgot to ask you this morning. How did you sleep? I didn't give you the potion last night."

"I already told you. I slept well last night. It's strange. Some nights I sleep horribly and other nights I sleep great. I don't know what causes it."

The water was finally hot enough and they both stepped into the shower. Severus went under the water spray and wetted his hair. He pulled Hermione under the water with him and kissed her soundly on the lips. She grabbed the rag and wetted it under the water. She grabbed the soap and lathered the rag. She started to scrub his chest. While she scrubbed along his broad muscles she stared into his dark hooded eyes. She continued to wash his whole body, her eyes never left his. When she finished washing his body he took the rag from her and started to scrub her body. He was slow and very thorough. He took his time washing every inch of her and spent extra time on her special spot. They went back under the water washing away soap. She grabbed the shampoo bottle and squirted some into her palm. She started to scrub his hair and scalp. Severus closed his eyes and leaned back into her hands. It felt amazing and he nearly groaned aloud. She started at the top of his hair and slowly worked down to the ends of his hair. When she finished washing his hair he started to wash her hair. He held her close to him as he washed every curl.

They walked out of the shower. He grabbed a warm fuzzy towel and wrapped it around Hermione's body. He continued to hold her close to him as he dried off each part of her body. She leaned back in his arms enjoying the contact. Now it was her turn. She turned around and began to dry him off gently. They could have just dried each other off with a spell, but the feeling of the towel and the intimacy between them was worth it. They walked back into the bedroom and started to get dressed.

She looked over at the time and started to get dressed even faster. "Severus, we are going to be late for breakfast."

"No we won't. We'll make it. We still got fifteen minutes before the student's arrive."

"It takes at least five minutes to walk all the way there. We should have woken up earlier," she argued. She quickly walked back into the bathroom and started working on her hair in a hurried pace. She used her wand and her frizzy hair serum and in two minutes flat her hair turned into lovely little curls that framed her face. She pocketed her wand left the bathroom. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, let us go. You know our time this morning was worth it."

They left their rooms and walked down the hallway. "It was worth it, but you now I hate being late. I don't want to walk in there and see everyone's eyes on us."

"Who cares what they think? Many Professors before us have been late before and no one batted an eye."

She sighed and slowly let it go. There was no point in arguing about it. If they were late they couldn't change that. They reached the secret alcove and walked into the Great Hall. She nearly groaned aloud when she saw that yes they were late, very late. So late in fact that every Professor and student were already seated and started eating.

Severus didn't seem bothered by it. He kept his head held high and reached their side of the table. He pulled out her chair for her and sat down in his chair. He started eating immediately not bothering to say a word to anyone.

Professor McGonagall looked at Severus and said, "You two are late. What took you so long?"

"We overslept." He didn't bother to explain all the dirty details. It was their personal life. No one else needed to know what they did behind closed doors.

"Well whatever the real reason is it definitely agrees with the two of you. Hermione seems better today."

"Yes she hasn't snapped or gotten angry. She claims that she doesn't feel angry anymore, but I'm not too sure myself. Have you ever heard of a spell that can make people not control their emotions? She says it feels like someone is taking over her. We tried last night to read through some books, but we didn't find anything yet."

"I don't think I have, Severus, I'm sorry. I wish I could be more of help for you and Hermione."

He nodded at her and continued eating his breakfast. His mind continued to think about Hermione's "symptoms" what this could mean.

Hermione looked over at Hagrid and smiled at him. "I apologize Hagrid for my behavior yesterday. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course, 'Ermione. How are you feeling today?" He asked.

"Wonderful actually thank you for asking." Their talk was pleasant, but ended quickly when Severus whispered to her that it was time to head to class to get ready for the day. She bid him a good day and followed Severus out of the Great Hall.

"This morning we are teaching the seventh years. It's Gryffindor's and Slytherin's. I am going to be testing them on a very difficult potion that they should have learned in their fifth year. It takes over an hour to make so they have the whole class period to recreate the potion. While they are brewing, you will walk around the room. If you see something that is wrong you may acknowledge it, but do not help them. They aren't first years. If they got into Newt Potions then they should no longer need my assistance."

She pursed her lips together not really agreeing with his viewpoint. If a student needed help she was supposed to ignore it? He was her Professor though. She was just an apprentice. She had to listen to him and do as he asked. "Yes sir."

"Do you not agree?" He asked mildly, not wanting to upset her.

"No I don't. Even if they are seventh years they should be able to ask for help if they need it and you should provide it for them. Haven't you ever needed help with a potion?"

He scowled and shook his head in denial. "When I was a child yes, but when I was a seventh year I never needed help with anything unless it was a partner potion. If you are in Newt Potions you should not need assistance. If you do then maybe you weren't cut out for potions." His explanation was harsh. She knew he was a difficult man, but his mind-set was wrong.

"But you are a teacher, Severus. We aren't dealing with students who are a master at potions. We are dealing with students who want to learn and in order to learn they might have questions that need to be asked. Do you expect every student to be just as smart as you are?"

"I don't want to argue with you Hermione, but I stand firm in my beliefs. They should know how to make potions this far in their life. As I said, if you see something that is wrong address it, if not then move on."

She scowled slightly at his dismissive attitude. Instead of continuing the argument she pressed her lips together and decided to stay silent on the issue.

They walked into the classroom and Severus sat down at his desk. He shuffled his papers around and picked up his lesson plan. While reading over his notes for the class he muttered at Hermione, "Don't forget Ms. Weasley will be a part of the class. Do not show her any favoritism."

"I am aware of that thank you." She was still angry at him for his dismissive attitude. She never will understand his teaching philosophy. She understood his reasoning, but to expect all his students to not need any help was ridiculous. Even a smart witch like herself needed help sometimes.

He stood up from the desk and turned his head to the front door. With a lazy flick of his wrist the door swung open and in walked the students. Hermione stayed rooted to the spot. She scanned the familiar faces and her eyes flicked towards Ginny who sat close to the front. She quickly looked away from her remembering what Severus told her.

"Today I will be testing you on a difficult potion that you have learned in your fifth year. You have the whole period to recreate it. You cannot use your books or notes during your potion making. You are relying on memory. The potion that you are brewing today is Draught of Peace." Every student let out a groan knowing how difficult the potion was. Even Hermione was shocked by what he was making them do. Without instructions that was nearly impossible. "Silence! You all are seventh years and we are in Newt potions. You should know how to create a potion without needing to read a textbook. You have until the end of the period. Begin."

They all took out their potion kits and began brewing their potions. Hermione, as directed, began to walk around the room. She saw that some students weren't sure how to even start. She bit her lip and continued on walking. If Severus didn't want her to help them then she wouldn't. She reached Ginny's cauldron and smiled at her when she correctly added powdered moonstone to her potion. Ginny discreetly smiled back at her and continued on making her potion.

Hermione walked over the Slytherin side and saw a black-haired boy adding way too much moonstone. "Mr. Murray, way too much powdered moonstone. You're not even using the correct measurement." She took out her wand and tapped the cauldron. "Start over and this time, watch what you are doing."

Severus was pleased by how she handled the situation. She saw exactly what the boy was doing wrong and she made him redo it.

She continued on walking down each row of tables and checking on every potion. She came to another boy, this time a Gryffindor, who was confused on what to add next to his cauldron. It was a beautiful pink color and Hermione knew that he needed to add syrup of hellebore. She winced slightly at the memory of Harry when Severus gave him a zero for forgetting it. "Forgetting what else to add Mr. Smith?"

The boy looked up at her and nodded. "I am trying to remember, but I can't. Can you help me Mistress?"

"You must've taken way too many bludgers to the head then Mr. Smith," Severus boomed from the other side of the room. His eyes flashed at Hermione in warning, reminding her that she was not allowed to help them.

"You have to do it yourself Mr. Smith I'm sorry." She moved on from his table feeling bad that she couldn't offer him any help.

She continued on the rest of the period like this. She came across 5 other students that needed help, but she passed their cauldron leaving them alone. She ended up back at Ginny's cauldron and saw that she was almost done. It was currently grey, which meant that she had 3 more steps to go before she was done. She wanted to congratulate her, but she quickly moved her feet away from her table.

Fifteen minutes passed and the sound of a bell was heard. "Class is now over. Please bottle up your potions, label it, and set it on my desk. Tonight's homework is to write a two feet long essay about the effects of Draught of Peace. You are dismissed."

One by one each student brought their potion to the front of the room and set it down on his desk. Each student left the room besides Ginny.

"Mrs. Weasley I did not ask you to stay behind. Now leave."

Ginny frowned at Professor Snape. She wanted to check in on Hermione after hearing her blow up at the poor first year. "I understand Professor, but I wanted to talk to Her- I mean Mistress Granger."

"That is not appropriate at this time Mrs. Weasley. Write her an owl. We have work to do. I will not tell you again. Leave now or I will take away points."

Hermione watched her friend leave the room quickly, not wanting to lose any points for her house. "That was rude, Severus. She just wanted to talk to me."

"She can write you an owl then. We are in the middle of school Hermione. She is not your friend while you are at Hogwarts." He turned towards his desk and picked up the first potion he saw. "Help me look at each potion. We are going to organize what grade level each one gets."

She helped them categorize each potion from Outstanding all the way to a Zero. "Some of those students truly did awful." She stared at the table and grimaced at how many students ended up on the failing side. "Why did you make them do such a hard potion the first day of class?"

"It's what they should expect. I always start with a hard potion to set the mood for the rest of the year. By the looks of it, some of them were able to complete the challenge. Even your friend Weasley was able to create a perfect potion."

"Doesn't it concern you though that half of the class couldn't brew it?" She asked.

"No it doesn't. I expected half the class to not be able to brew it. It is in fact one of the hardest potions to make. Every detail counts and when you don't have a book in front of you it is nearly impossible."

She gaped at him. He knew that half his students would fail? "Why would you give them a task they couldn't complete?"

"To see who is going to make it in the world, Hermione. Half of them are not cut out for Potions, obviously, but the select few that succeeded will do great. Newt Potions was never meant to be easy and it will continue to be difficult. I expect a lot out of my students and they respect me for it. I am not changing my standards just because a few students aren't up for the challenge." He took a deep breath. "I am sorry if you are having difficulties agreeing with the way I teach. Are you sure you want to keep working with me as an apprentice?"

Even though she hated the way he taught she loved Potions. She wanted to teach it. "Yes I am sure, Severus. I won't argue with you anymore with the way you teach."

He felt remorse for making her feel bad, but this was his classroom. This is the way he ran the class, but he also realized that he loved her and he hated when they fought about anything. "I am sorry if anything I said upset you, Hermione. I am a different person when I teach, you know that. I shouldn't have argued with her."

She smiled when she saw that he meant what he said. She hugged him and pressed her cheek on his warm chest. "I am sorry for arguing with you, Severus. You are right. It is your classroom and you can teach it whatever way you see fit. I shouldn't have initiated it."

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on her forehead. Being partners in Potions apparently wasn't as easy as they thought it would be.


End file.
